Refashioned {week 2}

Hey everybody! I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get the result post up last weekend. My week kind of exploded and I wasn’t able to get on the internet for a few days. But better late than never, right? So here it is!

Instead of doing clothes for refashion week, I decided to use wood and refashion it into decorative mirrors. I had some MDF leftover from another project and I picked up the mirrors from the dollar store. They are technically candle holder plates. So the total cost of this project was $3.

I used a 5 gallon bucket to make circles. The inside circle where the mirror is, is from a quart paint can. Then I grabbed a lid from bug spray to make the curved parts of the two outside mirrors. There was definitely no exact science to it. And if you look closely enough there are a few spots that are smaller than other parts. After you’ve drawn the design, grab a jigsaw and cut them out. Hot glue the mirrors to the back and wah-lah, you’ve got custom mirrors.

For this week I decided to refashion a t-shirt and a vintage sheet into a purse. I love Rainbow Brite! A good friend of mine gave me a vintage Rainbow Brite sheet that was just begging to be turned into a trendy and cute hobo bag.

The materials for this are simple, though the vintage sheet was a lucky find. The print fabric forms the lining and an accent pocket on the outside, while the shell is made from a medium cotton t-shirt with the sleeves, neckline, and some of the bottom removed. The t-shirt provides a nice shortcut by retaining the side and shoulder stitching. Once the shell and liner were joined, I trimmed it all with a rainbow ribbon to tie together the Rainbow theme.

In addition to the super cute pocket (perfect for my keys) on the front, I also added a pocket inside the lining that fits my wallet exactly. The pocket was made simply by sewing the bottom of a discarded sleeve and attaching it into the lining. It was incredibly simple and turns this adorable bag into a functional accessory.

I am so excited to share this project! I am so proud of all the work that went into this piece, and I think SYTYC is the perfect platform to show off this little gem!

This piece has been in my family since before I was. It was good enough quality to keep around, but needed a major facelift. Not only was it very dated, but parts of it needed to be replaced.

I got excited to start working and didn’t really take a proper “before” picture. It used to be a hutch, so there was a cabinet on top with glass doors and 2 drawers that we took out. Once we got into pulling this apart, we realized that half of it was particle board, and half was real wood. We replaced all of the particle board with real wood, and made new faux shutters for doors. We also replaced all of the hardware, added quarter round where the drawers used to be to give that a finished look, and painted and distressed it.

I put a ton of work into this thing only to make it look like I found it abandoned in the street in the French Quarter! I am so thrilled with the end result! The real question is did I fool anyone into thinking that it always looks that nice and organized, and that there are never any Wii games or DVDs stacked on top?

On any visit to the thrift store you’ll find miles of mens’ slacks and button down shirts. Lots of very boring menswear castoffs. For the refashion challenge I wanted to see if I could turn some cheaps duds from the thrift store into a sophisticated, feminine outfit.

I spent $5 on a pair of black slacks, $3 on a cream button-down shirt, $1 on a plain brown belt, and used half of a $2 lace curtain panel – making the entire cost of my new ensemble $10 plus tax.

I started with the top, turning a boring button down into a lacey blouse. I turned it around, putting the buttons down the back, cutting new sides seams and adding bust darts, then covering the entire front with lace. I took off the sleeves and cut new ones, gathering them at the shoulder and elbow to add a bit of fullness for a retro feel. Finally, I used every last scrap of leftover fabric (including the original collar and sleeve cuffs) to make a peter pan collar.

Next came the skirt. I unpicked the inseam of the pants, cut them off just below the knee, then sewed new front and back center seams to create a skirt. Then I tried it on and did some taking in to get a more tailored look, including kick pleats on each side, to reinforce the retro feel.

I just needed a belt to complete the outfit, but all I could find at the thrift store was a plain brown belt. So I pulled out some aqua spray paint, crossed my fingers, and went to town. I used very light coats of spray paint and it worked perfectly! Now I have a completely new outfit, refashioned from something old, for $10.

I never change into painting clothes when heading out to start on a project.

Every project I tell myself, “oh this will be quick. You won’t get paint on your ____” (fill in the blank with new flip-flops, freshly painted nails, shirt, or good yoga paints). But it always happens, and now I am stuck with a lot of good painting clothes.

My inspiration for the painted tank was this lattice pattern from an Anthropologie bedding set. I used a whole lot of painter’s tape, fabric paint, a brush, and a makeshift foam stamp to recreate it. Now my tank is swanky with its new print and my paint stain was successfully hidden!

For this week’s “repurposed” theme I decided to fix the biggest eyesore in our house: the dining room. It had the most hideous vertical blinds and an even more hideous white picket fence and flower border which had purple foam butterfly stickers on it as well. What were the previous owners thinking?!?

A few weeks ago we ripped down those nasty vertical blinds and put up simple white and hot pink polka dot curtains. Such an improvement! But back to this week’s repurposed projects!

We used vinegar and hot water to loosen the glue under the wallpaper, then wiped down the walls.

such an improvement just taking that lame wallpaper off!

Next we took latex paint and some grout and mixed them together to make a chalkboard wall for the kids to draw on. I choose an awesome deep purple color called black tulip by Behr. We applied a couple of coats of that and voila chalkboard wall!!

Why stop there??? For our next repurposed challenge we went to work on the top half of the walls. We repurposed a truckload (lol not really of paint swatches from both Home Depot and Lowes and glued them in a rainbows on the wall.

It. Looks. So. Much. Better!!!!

I actually love looking at my dining room now!!

Eventually, we have plans to paint that border trim in the middle a nice pumpkin orange.

How do you refashion menswear into a little girl’s style statement? I did it by turning castaway neckties into a twirly skirt for a little lady. I put the word out to family and friends that I was collecting old neckties for a project and I got a great response. I had lots of colors and patterns to choose from. I alternated both ends of the ties for the silky skirt with a comfortable elastic waist.

A few other ties were transformed into a hair clip and a small purse to complete the outfit. For the hair accessory, I opened up some ties and used the fabric to make some yo-yo’s and then stitched a sparkly button on top. The purse was made with the large ends of two ties attached to a metal frame closure. I used the skinny end of a tie for the handle.
This little lady was quite happy with her new feminine twist on menswear!

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Hi! I'm Tauni, host of So You Think You're Crafty. SYTYC is a head-to-head crafting competition - the first “reality” blog. Every 10 weeks a new group of crafters is selected. Each week the crafters are given a theme and YOU vote for your favorite. Read More…

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